82S10360 MMS-D
By: Guillen H.R. No. 48
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For more than 140 years, Immaculate Conception
Church has played a central role in the life of Rio Grande City; and
WHEREAS, The Oblates of Mary Immaculate have served the
Catholic population of the community since 1853, but no clergy were
stationed in the community until the creation of a parish there in
1880; Father J. M. Jaffres, O.M.I., became the first resident
pastor, and Father Alexis de Saules, O.M.I., was assigned to assist
him; and
WHEREAS, A parish school was established in 1884, staffed by
members of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word; that order was
succeeded by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed
Sacrament in 1900, the Sisters of Mercy in the early 1920s, and the
School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1985; today the faculty includes
both religious and lay members, and the school offers instruction
from prekindergarten through the eighth grade; and
WHEREAS, The first church building, dedicated to Our Lady of
Refuge, was blessed on January 3, 1870, and it served the parish
until the present church was constructed in 1967; a number of other
building programs have been undertaken at various times to meet the
evolving needs of the parishioners; and
WHEREAS, Immaculate Conception Church is especially renowned
for its grotto, which is a replica of the famous shrine at Lourdes,
France; dedicated in 1928, the grotto is built of local stone and
petrified wood and incorporates statues of the Virgin Mary and of
Bernadette; and
WHEREAS, Since its founding, this historic church has
benefited from the guidance of many devoted clergymen, and today
the congregation is ably led by the Reverend Jean Olivier M. Sambu;
and
WHEREAS, Countless area residents have looked to Immaculate
Conception Church for spiritual renewal and enrichment over the
years, and its parishioners continue to find comfort, inspiration,
and the welcoming embrace of a caring community; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby recognize Immaculate
Conception Church for its many decades of dedicated service to its
community and extend to all those associated with the church
sincere best wishes as they carry forward its mission in the years
ahead; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Immaculate Conception Church as an expression of high
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.